Last Moments
by YaoiRocks
Summary: Kurama knew this moment was coming. Those last few moments were but a fraction of his life. Remembered forever, and seared into his heart. A last moment, to last forever more. Warning: Character Death


Hello everyone, new readers and old.

Surprised? Yes, I am a little, too.

I haven't uploaded anything in several years. I had just lost the drive to actually do anything on this account anymore. I've been spending my time doing other things, living my life.

This story has actually been sitting on my hard drive for the last couple of years and I decided that perhaps I should share it with you. Especially on this date. This story has some context behind it, a reason for its existence. You see, five years ago on this day my mother passed away. It was sudden, unexpected and it has left a huge hole in my heart. I loved her dearly, and I miss her even to this day. I don't think I will ever stop missing her. But afterwards, I found myself thinking back into the past. To the good, and the bad times. Including my FanFiction account. It was an absolute joy to be able to write my stories for my fans, and I loved every moment of it. I read my way through the Naruto Manga and for the first time in a long time, I felt the urge to write. And this is what came of it. But even so, I kept it on my hard drive for a couple of years, unsure what to do with it. Then I realised it had been five years since that day, and I felt the overwhelming urge to share this story with you, in her memory.

I hope you enjoy it.

**-xx-**

**Title**: Last Moments

**Rating**: M

**Warnings**: Character Death

**Pairings**: None major. Hints of NaruHina.

**Summary**: Kurama knew this moment was coming. Those last few moments were but a fraction of his life. Remembered forever, and seared into his heart. A last moment, to last forever more.

**Note**: While writing to this, I listened to a particular song on YouTube. It was created by one of the musical artists on the site, by the name of BrunuhVille. The song is titled "Fantasy Elven Music - The Voice of the Forest". It suited the mood of what I wanted to write, and it helped me create this story.

**-xx-**

Two figures stepped slowly down the road, a few miles away from the village of Konoha as the sun hung high in the deep blue sky. The slower of the two, was an elderly man well on in years. His shoulders were slightly bowed down, as if he had carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. His steps were slow, but steady. He wore sandals, with simple black trousers. His long-sleeved top was a bright orange in colour. Draped around his shoulders was a worn looking Hokage cloak that he wore with evident pride. His hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, and his face was lined with wrinkles showing his age. His eyes, however, spoke otherwise. Bright blue, with a youthful twinkle in them, despite the hint of sadness that shadowed them. Three whisker marks adorned each cheek, marking him as the Seventh Hokage. Uzumaki Naruto, host of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Kurama.

Beside him, standing tall and walking with confident, self assured strides was another blonde man. His coloured eyes was slightly darker than that of his companion, and he had two whisker marks on each cheek. He was Boruto, son of the old Hokage, Naruto, and his late-mother Hinata. His eyes were carefully watching that of his father as they continued to walk down the road, a comfortable silence shrouding the two. They didn't need to speak. All the talking had been done. Boruto was here for one simple reason. To help his father with one task before he could finally follow his deceased wife.

The two of them finally came to stop after walking for hours. When Boruto looked up, he instantly recognised the place. The Valley of the End. The place that held so much history. Not only as a Nation, but personally to his Father. A slight smile graced his lips, knowing that his Father had brought them here on purpose. He turned towards Naruto, who was gazing out across the valley with a slight smile with his eyes lost in memories as a gentle breeze ruffled his hair.

Boruto had tried to convince his father from this, but the old man had been stubborn. Refusing to back down from this. All Boruto could do was offer to come with him, to make sure that he was properly taken care of afterwards. Naruto had simply smiled at Boruto and stated that he would not have it any other way. Despite the troubled past the two of them shared, Boruto had come to love and admire his father. And this had not changed that opinion. Still, that didn't mean that he was completely happy with this. He had not long lost his mother, and now he was going to lose his father. Boruto closed his eyes for several moments before he let out a sigh. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up into the bright eyes of his father,

"Thank you." Was all his father said, but Boruto could sense the wealth of emotions in that simple phrase. A smile lifted on the young man's lips, even as his own eyes reflected the grief that was already beginning to eat at him,

"I will miss you, Dad. I'll always think of you." He said, his voice barely a whisper. The hand on his shoulder squeezed slightly,

"I'm very proud of you." Naruto said softly before allowing his hand to fall. The smile on Boruto's face became larger, happy to hear those words. He then bowed his head and stepped back, giving his father the room he needed.

Naruto turned his eyes back towards the valley, laying a hand on his stomach, "Well… my dear friend… it's time…" He said softly as he closed his eyes. When he seemed to open his eyes he looked up and smiled when he saw the great figure of Kurama hovering over him. Neither of them spoke, simply staring at each other. Naruto's eyes then lowered, staring at the seal that marked the ground where Kurama sat. Reaching out with a hand, Naruto held his palm out. Taking the chakra from his friend, Naruto did the one thing that should not happen. He broke the seal.

Outside of his body, the red chakra of the nine-tailed beast swirled around him, causing his clothes to billow as if they were caught in the wind. The chakra continued to grow, getting larger and larger before it then began to solidify and take shape. After several long moments, Kurama stood tall, and free.

Naruto swayed for a moment before he collapsed. However he was caught by a large, red furred tail before he was gently lowered to the ground. He was not dead. Not yet. But he was dying now that the great beast had been removed. Kurama stepped up to him, peering down at the figure of his former host. Gently, he lay down next to Naruto, shifting his head so that he was peering down at the old man with one large, red eye. Naruto smiled up at Kurama, reaching out with a hand and gently placed it on the great fox's muzzle,

"It's been a long… long road for us, hasn't it, Kurama?" He asked in a weak voice that trembled slightly, tilting his head slightly, that foxy grin on his face that made him look decades younger.

Usually, Kurama hated to show his real emotions, but at the moment he could not bring himself to shake them off. Not when it was his last moments with his host. His eyes closed for a moment before they opened again,

"Yes…" He said, his voice deep and rumbling. He shifted slightly, pressing his muzzle into Naruto as the old man's hand continued to run through the dark fur, "I never thanked you, Naruto. For saving me." He then said, watching as that cheeky smile grew wider,

"You don't need to thank me, Kurama. What are friends for?" Naruto asked with a soft chuckle that ended in a breathless wheeze. Kurama's eyes closed as he let out a slight huff of amusement before they opened and fixed themselves on Naruto. He was fading. He could see it.

"You… will always be my friend, Naruto. I will always, always remember you. You are precious to me." Kurama said, feeling that it was important for Naruto to know that. The old man smiled wider, his eyes closing as he smiled happily up at Kurama,

"And you… will always… be mine…" Naruto said softly, his hand clutching at Kurama's fur for a moment before his grip suddenly went lax. His expression cleared, relaxing as death took hold of him.

Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina and former host of Kurama, the nine-tailed beast, was gone, following his wife into death's embrace.

Kurama stared at the still body for several long moments before his eyes closed as two great tears escaped. The great fox had been expecting this for a long time. The death of his host. But he never imagined the gaping hole that had been left behind. He had been consumed by hatred. Hurt by the hands of humans, and used for their own selfish means. And then Naruto had been the one that he had been sealed inside of. For Naruto's childhood, Kurama had watched him with much scorn, thinking that it would be easy to poison the young Shinobi's mind. But that was not what had happened.

Instead… Naruto poisoned him. He had reached out to Kurama, treating him as he would another person. Stripping Kurama's hate from him. Saving him. He became the ray of light that lit up the darkness. The tailed beast had been speaking the truth. Naruto would always be a part of him. He would never forget the very first friend he had ever made. Kurama's claws dug into the soft dirt, pulling Naruto slightly closer as more tears followed the last as he grieved the loss he had suffered. He was aware that Boruto was watching him, grieving the loss of his own father, but Kurama did not care. The grief he felt himself was almost crushing, blocking out all other thought and emotion. He couldn't move. He couldn't think.

He couldn't stop the tears.

They continued to roll down his cheeks as he silently mourned. He didn't mourn alone, either. He knew the other tailed beasts mourned his loss with him. Naruto had saved them all. But none felt the loss keener than Kurama. It was like a sharp knife that pierced his heart and mind, aching like a fresh wound. He knew the pain would ease in time, but the wound would never, could never, be fully healed.

But Kurama knew that he couldn't grieve forever. Even though Naruto had left, he was still behind. He would continue. For Naruto. Kurama felt like he owed his former host that. His eyes opened, to stare down at Boruto who was now standing closer. The first thing Kurama noticed was that the sky was darker. He had remained where he was for hours, completely lost to the world, as his world had crumbled around him. Closing his eyes again, Kurama felt that the tears, for now, had stopped.

Opening them again, he peered down at Boruto as the man calmly observed him, "I'm sorry, Kurama."

The large fox bowed his head, before he suddenly shifted and moved away from the now cold body. He looked down at Naruto again, watching as Boruto knelt down next to his father. Gently, Boruto straightened Naruto out and placed the old man's hands against his chest as he rested in eternal slumber, his face relaxed and content. At peace.

The two of them were silent, respectful of the other's pain, as they watched Naruto for a while. Finally, Boruto sighed and stood up. He turned around to look at Kurama,

"What do you plan on doing now?" He asked.

Kurama let out a sigh. He did not know. At the moment, all his heart wished for was for Naruto to be alive. He raised his head and gazed out over the Valley. The one created when Madara had forced him to fight alongside him. The one where Sasuke and Naruto had fought. Twice. The first time, to try and stop Sasuke from running away to Orochimaru. And the second… to save the world from Sasuke's then twisted ideals. Naruto had fought bravely both times. Kurama had helped with the second battle. The two of them fought together. Like comrades. He wanted that back. He wanted to continued Naruto's desire to protect his loved ones, and his home. The great fox suddenly felt sure of himself in that moment. More sure than anything. He turned his head back to Boruto and asked,

"Your youngest daughter… how old is she?"

Boruto looked startled by the question, and he frowned slightly, "Six. Why?" He asked.

Kurama was silent for several moments before he suddenly grinned, "I want to meet her. And, if she is willing… I would like to be sealed within her."

Boruto stared at him, his mouth gaped open. He shook his head in disbelief, "I … I have no objections…. but why?" Was all he could ask. Kurama let out a sigh as he lowered his head slightly so that his nose was close to the confused man,

"Because I want to continue to protect Naruto's precious people… his friends… family… and his village." He replied. Boruto stared at him for a few minutes before a smile, much like his father's, stretched across his lips, "We would like that. Thank you, Kurama. Dad would have been so happy and proud of you." He said. The great fox let out a deep chuckle before he looked back over to Naruto,

"Naruto saved me from my own hatred. I want to pay him back for that, and this… is how I will do it. I promise that for as long as Naruto's ideals are alive, I will do everything in my power to protect what was precious to him." Kurama said as the world around them plunged into the darkness of the night.

**-xx-**

There you go. I hope you enjoyed it. I know it seems like as if it is open to a sequel, but I am unsure if I would ever get around to doing something. I have no plot in mind, nor is one coming to me.

I do however had something else that I might publish. An ItaNaruIta story, of which I've written the first few chapters of. I'm not sure yet. This was during the time I had the urge to write so I am unsure if I will finish it. But as it stands, it has eight chapters. I also have the unfinished next chapter of The Gyuujiru but it needs editing and finalising. I had also started to re-write Ones True Heart with a new plot in mind. Again, I'm not sure what I am going to do with that. I don't really have much time to write, but I might try. Just here and there in my spare time, if I have the drive to. I'm not making any promises.


End file.
